This topic asks you to complete present-tense sentences, identify a correctly built sentence, or select every sentence whose subject and finite verb agree. The tested verb may be an ordinary lexical verb or a form of be, have or do.
Match the controller and the finite verb
Start with the grammatical subject, not the noun nearest the gap. Decide whether that subject is third-person singular, plural, I or you. Then find the finite verb: the verb that carries present tense and agreement. In a simple verb phrase it is the lexical verb; when be, have or do is finite, that verb carries the agreement instead.
| Subject pattern | Simple-present agreement pattern |
|---|---|
| A third-person singular noun phrase, or he, she or it | Use the lexical form in -s or -es; finite be, have and do use their third-person singular forms. |
| A plural noun phrase, we or they | Use the lexical base form; finite be, have and do use their plural forms. |
| You, whether one person or several | Use the same base and auxiliary pattern as a plural subject. |
| I | Use the lexical base form and the first-person forms of be, have and do. |
Use a short two-pass check. First reduce the subject to its head and label its person and number. Then inspect only the finite verb. Do not let a past form, an -ing form or a nearby noun distract you from the present agreement requested by the prompt.
Where the mistakes come from
| Trap | Why it is wrong |
|---|---|
| A bare lexical form with one third-person singular subject | That pattern drops the present-tense singular ending. The unchanged base belongs with I, you, we, they or a plural noun phrase. |
| Has beside a clearly plural noun phrase | Has is the finite form for a third-person singular subject; a plural head requires the plural member of the have pair. |
| Is, are or bare be offered with I | None is the first-person singular present form required by this subject. Identify the subject before choosing within the be paradigm. |
| Does offered with you | Does marks third-person singular agreement. You follows the plural-pattern member of the do pair even when it addresses only one person. |
Try it
The lantern beside the entrance ___ on until midnight every evening.
- stays
- stay
- stayed
- staying
Which sentence gives a singular subject the correct present form of do?
- The delivery van do arrive before noon.
- The delivery van does arrive before noon.
- The two delivery vans does arrive before noon.
- The delivery van does arrives before the lunch break.
Select all sentences that use present-tense subject-verb agreement correctly.
- We check the safety lights every afternoon.
- The caretaker check the rear gate at noon.
- I am ready to record the meter reading.
- The scanner has a spare battery inside.